Glass-metal uniting apparatus



Feb. 20, 1962 w. s. BLANDING ET AL 3,021,643

GLASS-METAL UNITING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed June 13, 1956 INVENTORS. bE/YDEAL J. BLAIYDl/YG, LAURENCE/2. Fos 716/? AND PAUL E SPREMULU.

A? 2' r0 ENE Y 5' Feb. 20, 1962 w. s. BLANDING ETAL 3,021,643

GLASS-METAL UNITING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed June 13, 1956 INVENTORS. Mwam dbl/M01116 mi V E) iver/vi) Feb. 20, 1962 w. s. BLANDING ET AL 3,021,643

GLASS-METAL UNITING APPARATUS Original Filed June 13, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet :5

INVENTORS.

WE/YDELL 5.154mvome, leues/vcs 6 FosrE/a mm 1 ,404 A SPREMULLI.

Feb. 20, 1962 w. s. BLANDING .ET AL 3,021,643

GLASS-METAL UNITING APPARATUS Original Filed June 13, 1 956 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Tao MANlFOLD OXY GEN AMD final. f JP/PEMI/LLI.

87 7'7'ORNE'Y a? V nite The present invention relates to an apparatus suitable for embedding in the cavity defining wall surfaces of hollow glass articles, metal inserts suitable for use as supports for equipment therein. By way of example, such an article may be a skirted or Walled panel to serve as the viewing screen for an all-glass television picture tube wherein an aperture mask or the like must be held within the cavity of the viewing screen, as disclosed herein and in our copending application Serial No.

591,179 (now Patent No. 2,949,702) of which this application is a division.

According to the invention an apparatus is provided for supporting a number of cup-like metal inserts or members having their free wall edges adapted for being pressed into appropriately selected inner surface regions of the viewing screen wall or skirt after such inserts have been suitably heated and the glass in such regions heated to a workable temperature by flames from burners associated with the apparatus. Moreover, the inserts are made hollow to enable them to entrap air therein during the time that they are being forced into the softened glass. This entrapped air becomes highly heated and builds up pressure within an insert; and is made available by the apparatus while the glass is still workable, to pneumatically pull the seal to give the [glass the contour known to provide a strong and reliable seal along its lines of juncture with the insert.

Preparatory to the sealing of metal inserts or members in a glass panel, to avoid danger of thermal shock and possible breakage thereof during the process, it is preferable that the panels be preheated to the annealing temperature of the glass at least in the areas where the seals are to be made. If the entire panel is to be preheated such preheating can conveniently be eifected in a suitable oven. If only the regions of the panel wall to be occupied by the inserts are to he preheated, broad heating flames may be directed towards the respective sealing regions for a suitable period before associating the panel with the sealing apparatus. Also to avoid thermal shock to the panel, applicants prefer to heat the respective parts of the apparatus that support and/or properly orient the panel with respect to associated mechanism for embedding the inserts into the glass. This is accomplished by electrically heating such parts. It is also essential that the panel be annealed after the inserts have been scaled therein, and this, of course, can be readily done in a suitable oven.

In carrying out the invention applicants prefer to place the panel at room temperature in a suitable container that extends only about the panel side wall or skirt and its front surface. With such a container structure the panel may be kept enclosed therein throughout the preheating, sealing and annealing cycle and allowed to again cool to a temperature at which it can be safely removed to room atmosphere.

For a better understanding of the invention reference is made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a sectional plan view of an apparatus embodying the invention showing the panel cover broken away for the most part and a sectional view of a panel taken through its side wall or skirt.

3,021,643 Patented Feb. 26, 1962 FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the apparatus and of a panel thereon taken generally along line 2-2 of FIG. 1. FIGS. 3 and 4 are views of fragmentary portions of the apparatus having to do with laterally orientinga panel thereon. i

FIG. 5 is a view of fragmentary portions of the apparatus having to do with locally, heating the metal inserts and the panel wall and the embedding'of the inserts in the panel wall. 7

FIG. 6 is a view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a fragment of the apparatus also on line 2 -2 of FIG. 1 and including a side elevational view of a metal insert associated therewith.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a panel fragment and of an insert sealed therein. 1

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of one of the panel supporting elements. a,

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic illustration of the gaseous fuel heating system of the apparatus.

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic View illustrating the electric heating arrangement employed.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the sealing apparatus embodies a suitable table 11 provided with a top 12. Supported on top 12, by means of brackets such as 15 and 16 is a base plate 18 having a number of up-standing posts such as 14 (FIGS. 1, 2, and '9) passing therethrough and provided at their free ends with panel supporting carbon buttons such as 19. Plate 18 also has a centrally disposed post 20 threaded therethrough. Arranged upon the upwardly projecting portion of post 20 is a spacer washer 21 and thence a generally X-shaped support 22 adapted to accommodate four diagonal slides such as 23 (FIGS. 1 and 2). Each such slide has two branches, such as 25 and 26, at its outer end. Each branch carries a cartridge similar to 30 (FIG. 9) containing an electric heating element and is provided with a glass engaging button such as 31 of carbon. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 the inner end of each slide, such as 23, is provided with an aperture occupied by a pin 33 carrying a cam roller 34. Each such cam roller occupies an arcuate slot such as 39 in a cam gear 40 turntable about a bearing 41 (FIG..2) arranged about the hub 27 of the support 22. The cam gear 40 is turned by means or" a pinion 45 in mesh therewith and carried on the upper end of a vertical shaft -46 passing down through a suitable bearing mounted in the table top. 12. Shaft 46, just above the table top 12 is provided with a worm wheel 47 in mesh with a worm 48 carried by a horizontal shaft 49 equipped with a hand wheel and crank 50. As will be understood, by turning crank SOtheslides such as 23 may be advanced to cause branches such as 25 and 26 to engage their buttons, such as 31, with the wall of a panel such as P to shift it to a precise desired position.

On the portion of the post 20 depending from the un derside of plate 18 there is pivotally arranged a cam embodying a hub 55 and a flange 56. Coupled to flange 56 by means of links such as 57 and pins 58 and 59 are burner supporting slides such as 67 (FIGS. 1, 2, and 7) arranged in ways (FIG. 6) formed in plate 18. Each of these slides at its outer end carries a burner assembly such as 60 having a metal insert or member receiving pocket 61 surrounded by gaseous fuel outlets such as 64 for directing flames toward a member such as 63 occupying such pocket and toward the adjacent panel wall surface 62 of the panel into which the element is to be sealed.

A lever 65 (FIGS. 1 and 5) at one end is secured to the cam flange 56 and enables the cam to be turned to advance the burners toward the panel wall and to force the inserts such as 63 into sealing relation therewith after proper heating of the panel wall has been eiiected. Lever 65 engages an adjustable stop 69 (FIG. 1) on plate 18 when the inserts have been advanced a predetermined depth into the panel and on restoration backs the burners otf the sealed-in inserts to permit the bubble of air entrapped in the cavity of insert 63 to give a slight outward thrust to the insert and thus impart a contour to the line of juncture of the glass and metal found to be of greatest possible strength.

As diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. the respective burners such as 60 receive fuel from a manifold supplied by gas and oxygen lines 53 and 54 respectively via suitable regulating valves 66 and 68 and a throttle valve 71. As will be understood valve 71 may be manipulated in any desired manner to suitably regulate the burner What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus useful in embedding a metal insert into the inner surface of a panel of glass having a surrounding sidewall, a plate having upstanding elements for the engagement of the inner surface of the panel to support the same at a predetermined height with respect to a reference point, mechanism for shifting a supported panel to a predetermined lateral position with respect to such point, a device-movable over a predetermined path with respect to such reference point containing a pocket for receipt of an insert to be embedded in a wall of a supported panel and provided with means for directing heat upon such insert and an oppositely disposed wall flames as the lever 65 is manipulated to advance the inserts towards and into the panel wall.

As diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 11 posts such as 14 and the slide branches such as 25 have their heating elements bridged across suitable heating current supply conductors 51 and 52 connected to the X and Y terminals of a suitable heating current source through a switch 70.

It has hereinbefore been stated that the panels are preferably preheated before scaling in the metal inserts and are annealed thereafter. Conveniently a panel, such as P, is inserted in a metal container 100 which leaves the interior of the panel exposed and available to the pin sealing apparatus so that the panel may be retained in such container throughout its preheating, sealing and annealing treatments.

The method of sealing an insert into a panel may be briefly summarized as follows: A panel is suitably preheated and placed upon the apparatus. The crank 50 is then turned to laterally orient the panel to a predetermined exact position with respect to the burners carrying the inserts. Valve 71 is then actuated and flames from the burners suitably regulated. When the panel wall regions opposite the respective burners have been heated to a softened or workable temperature the valve 71 is closed and the handle 65 actuated to advance the burners towards such regions and to force the inserts carried by them into the softened glass a distance determined by the setting of stop 69. While the glass is still workable lever 65 is restored to its initial position thus freeing the inserts for movement in an outward direction under the influence of air pressure developed within the insert cavities during the sealing operation, thus effectively pulling the seals.

Although a particular form of sealing apparatus has been herein shown and described and only one specific form of insert shown, modifications of'such structures are believed to be Well Within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

surface of such supported panel, and means for moving said device to force such insert into embedding relation with the panel wall when the latter has been heated to plasticity.

2. An apparatus such as defined by claim 1 wherein means is provided to heat said elements to a temperature compatible with that of the panel in the regions of their engagement therewith.

3. An apparatus such as defined by claim 1 wherein the mechanism for shifting a supported panel embodies horizontal elements engaging the panel wall and arranged for sliding movement in directions radiating laterally from such point and an operating member is provided for imparting outward movements to said elements to shift the panel to such predetermined position.

4. An apparatus such as defined by claim 1 wherein the mechanism for shifting the panel includes a gear having a cam slot therein and a slide for engagement of its one end with the panel sidewall, said slide being provided at its other end with a roller occupying said slot, and means for turning said gear for the purpose set forth.

5. In an apparatus useful in embedding a metal element in the inner surface of a side wall of a walled glass panel, means for supporting such panel from its inner surface, means for laterally adjusting the panel to a predetermined position, a heater unit arranged within the confines of the panel surrounding a pocket for a metal element to be embedded into the panel wall adapted to direct heat upon an element arranged in such pocket and upon a region of the wall into which the element is to be embedded, and means for moving said unit to embed the element in such wall and to disengage the element from such pocket.

Hinklcy May 12, 1953 Painter May 12, 1953 

